Rather than wait for the world to be transformed by AI in the distant future, we should pay careful attention to shaping the field’s progress in a more secure direction, especially when it comes to applications as vitally important as nuclear.

Nuclear weapons and related systems are increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated cyberattacks, and nuclear-armed states must cooperate and accelerate efforts to prevent an attack that could have catastrophic consequences.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative is looking for innovative new ways to use the NTI Nuclear Security Index rankings and data to improve understanding of the way nuclear materials and facilities are secured around the world and to highlight needs and spur action among governments.

On
November 10-11, 2017, the Holy See hosted the first international gathering on
nuclear disarmament since approval of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons, a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, signed by
122 countries at the United Nations in New York on July 7, 2017. Eleven Nobel Peace Laureates attended the “Perspectives
for a World Free From Nuclear Weapons and For Integral Disarmament,” conference, including Beatrice Fihn of the
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), recipient of this
year’s Nobel Peace Prize. They were joined by high-level representatives and
experts from civil society, academia, churches, states, and international
organizations, as well as students to discuss a variety of related issues,
including a path forward on the ban, which was not supporeted by NATO or the
countries that now hold nuclear weapons and would still require ratification to
take effect.

Integral human development

In his
address to the conference, His Holiness Pope Francis denounced the use and
possession of nuclear weapons, stating that “the threat of their use, as
well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned.” In light of the
Catholic Church’s mission in service of development, peace, and disarmament, this
position draws particular attention to the humanitarian and environmental
effects caused by such weapons. On the occasion of the Vienna Conference on the
Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in 2014, Pope Francis affirmed, “Nuclear
deterrence and the threat of mutually assured destruction cannot be the basis
for an ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence among peoples and states.”

The Church’s focus on the possession
– not only the use – of nuclear weapons furthers the profound connection
between disarmament and human development. Foremost in the Pope’s statement was the
condemnation of the possession of nuclear weapons themselves, regardless of
intent; such a declaration of the moral wrongness of possession is, as Bishop
Robert McElroy of San Diego noted, “new and, of course...very significant.”In effect, the Church is saying that to invest in the fallacy of
weapons is to divest from the poor, squandering the earth’s resources and the
intelligence of scientists and neglecting healthcare, education, and
development for our fellow human beings. A commendation of nuclear weapons is a
condemnation of our planet and our humanity.

Let’s be realistic

Conference participants unanimously agreed
that working towards a world without nuclear weapons is not naive and utopian
but represents the mostrealistic, sustainable alternativein
light of the unstable environment in which we find ourselves. Nuclear weapons
are, Pope Francis has repeatedly said, no basis for peaceful coexistence.
Indeed, they provide only a false sense of security.

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As Nobel Laureate Mohamed El Baradei, former head of the International Atomic
Energy Agency, shared, “A peace that hangs on a doctrine of Mutual Assured
Destruction is based on the anachronistic premise that ‘some are more equal
than others’; is underpinned by human fallibility; and, in addition, [is]
irrelevant to extremists.” Rather, an ethic of solidarity and responsibility is
the only realistic and sustainable foundation: one based on respect and
dialogue, as well as strict verification and transparency measures, that would
allow all people to flourish. This, Pope Francis has said, will “foster a
climate of trust and sincere dialogue.”

Everything is connected

There’s no question that a large task lies
ahead, one that requires both the renowned experts and the young activists. At
the same time, Nobel laureates testified to the ability to accomplish the
seemingly impossible. Despite the apparent indomitability of the task at hand,
we found hope in their diversity of experiences aimed at building a peaceful
and just world. For to work towards nuclear disarmament is also to work for the
flourishing of every human being, and commits us to resolve other problems in
society such as poverty, food insecurity, education, healthcare, and care for
the environment.

It was sobering to know that this
conference was sandwiched between two shootings in the United States, one in
Texas followed by one in northern California. These issues are not disconnected.
A climate of violence affects every level of our lives, and a deep sense of the
wrongness of the possession and use of nuclear weapons is inseparable from a
deep compassion for our fellow human being. We are all connected.

So where do we begin as students and
activists? We can begin with a disarmament of the heart: recognizing that our
fraternity with one another drives us to dialogue and to reject indifference
and resignation. Peace begins within each of us, manifested by the choices we
make every day in our lives, and is directed towards building up a more just
and peaceful world aimed at the common good of all.